RUMI, ESSENTIAL PERU

10 Days / 9 Nights

Rumi: stone in Quechua, recalls the sacred stone, the essential base material the Inkas built with. Landscape, nature and people who transformed and still continue to transform.

Go to the essentials enter into the heart of Peru visiting some out of the main path sites that are out of the conventional circuit. You will visit Cusco, the capital and sacred city of the Incas, Urubamba Valley with its charming villages, crops and archaeological sites, Maras, and the mysterious Moray. Be amazed by Machu Picchu before headed south to the high plateau of Titicaca, where the imposing lake awaits.
This trip allows travellers to quickly grasp the most beautiful and culturally intense zones of Peru.

Saqsayhuaman

Sanctuary of Machu Picchu

Llama wondering about Machu Picchu Sanctuary

Crops in the Sacred Valley

Uros

Lake Titicaca

Ceremony

Ollantaytambo

Itinerary

DAY 01: ARRIVAL IN LIMA

Arrival in Lima. We will pick you up at the airport and transfer to your hotel. We will welcome you and deliver the necessary documentation, and we will do a detailed review of the program.
Overnight in Lima

DAY 02: LIMA–CUSCO FLIGHT. ACCLIMATIZATION

We will take you to the airport for local flight to Cusco (3,400 m above the sea level). Upon arrival you will be met and transport to your hotel were you will rest to acclimate. We will have a free afternoon to independently explore Cusco at your own pace. The ancient Inca capital, Qosqo (the center of the world) was a sacred city of stone palaces and temples. Its streets and roads design reflected the technology, organization of the Inca Cosmo vision. Cusco was built under this city houses, colonial churches and plazas. It is a unique place to understand the Inca culture but also the cultural shock, syncretism and heritage of the mestizo baroque. Our recommendation is to have light meals, drink plenty of water or coca or muña tea, to attenuate the symptoms of altitude sickness (soroche).
Overnight in Cusco.

DAY 03: CUSCO CITY AND SURROUNDINGS: SAQSAYHUAMAN, Q’ORIQANCHA

Today we will leave around 2 pm to Sacsayhuaman, a stunning Inca building that dominates Cusco from the heights of the city. We will visit Puca Pucara, Tambomachay and Q’enko; all these archaeological sites will help us to understand the history and Inca Cosmo vision as they are related to the Inca state cults, (Tambomachay for example was a Temple dedicated to Water) and the astronomical observation, critical to the development of the agricultural economy in the Andes. In our way back, we will visit two important sites of the city: the Cathedral and the Qoricancha Temple of the Sun which is the true sacred center of the ancient Inca capital.
Overnight in Cusco.

DAY 04: SACRED VALLEY: MARAS – MORAY - CHINCHERO

Today we headed to the impressive salt mines of Maras, actively in use to the present day. We will see how the villagers removed the salt with a technique inherited from generation to generation since pre -Inca times, using the underground salty water, which are dsitributed in thousands of wells to facilitate the evaporation of water in order to abstract salt. Then we will go to Moray, an ancient agricultural laboratory located 7 Kilometers from Maras. On natural giant crevices called “Dolinas”, the Incas and their predecessors built a series of terraces or concentric terraces with their respective irrigation canals; what is striking is the difference in the average annual temperature between the top and the bottom of the terraces and in each of the levels. It is a difference that reaches up to 15 ° C. As a result, each year they could plan and control agricultural production throughout the territory, characterized by large differences in altitude and climate variability. Here is where amazing advances in agriculture allowed the expansion of the Inca state
If time permits, we will stop at Chinchero. The village has a colonial church built on the former palace of Tupac Inca Yupanqui (important Inca ruler). It keeps some original features that contrast and enhance the beauty of the main square, inside there are murals and paintings from the classic colonial age, full of symbolism and history. But the most remarkable are the weaver women of Chinchero, whose weaves keeps the history alive through organic designs that tell the past with colors produced with natural ingredients. More than a poncho, a tablecloth or dress, the fabrics are the way to express their wisdom, in every design they express a clear understanding regarding the reproductive cycle of cattle, agriculture and the all around nature; they express their vision and love.
Until a few years ago this tradition was in danger of falling into disuse, but the valuable work of a group of people led by Nilda Cañaupa has helped to restore and strengthen this tradition restoring its value, and allowing the weavers to offer their products at a fair price.
Throughout the village there are several open workshops to show the process of production. Visits are free of charge, but a purchase is expected and gratuities are accepted.
Overnight in Sacred Valley

DAY 05: OLLANTAYTAMBO. TRAIN TO MACHU PICCHU

Today we will have free time to enjoy the citadel of Ollantaytambo and the fortress* that guards the small Inca origin town, the valley, the river, and the narrow streets; and get a clear idea of how was this military, religious and cultural center during the Inca Empire. The cobbled streets with houses and tiled roofs are endearing.
In the afternoon, we will take the train to Aguas Calientes and Machu Picchu from the Ollantaytambo train station. The trip last approximately. 1:45 h. Aguas Calientes is at the base of the mountain on which the sacred city of Machu Picchu is located.
* Admission ticket to the fortress included in the BTC (Cusco Tourist Ticket).

Our destination, Machu Picchu, still keeps many mysteries. Nowadays we know from archaeological research that most likely it was a place of sacred and religious nature built by the Inca Pachacutec. It was dedicated to the surrounding mountains, mainly the Salkantay Mountain and to astronomical observation which was very important in the pre-Columbian Peru. Archaeological findings show significant presence of female remains, possibly priestesses.
The sophisticated carved stones, architecture and engineering, are a supreme expression of the Incas technological achievements. Excavations go on and every day we discover something new about this unique place. People think that somewhere in the city the tomb of Pachacutec (the most important ruler of the Incas) can be found.
Overnight in Aguas Calientes

DAY 06: MACHU PICCHU. TRAIN TO CUSCO. OPTIONAL HUAYNAPICCHU

At dawn we take an early breakfast and we headed to Machu Picchu citadel. We will take a bus from the center of Aguas Calientes ascending 400 meters using a zigzag road for about 30 minutes. Then we will arrive at the sanctuary of Machu Picchu where we will have a guided tour approximately 2 hours. We will visit the Main Square, the Circular Tower, the Sacred Sundial, the Royal Quarters, the Temple of the Three Windows and the cemeteries; then we will still have time to explore the archaeological site at our own leisure.
In the afternoon we will take the bus back to Aguas Calientes where we will have a meal at a local restaurant.

Optional: Huayna Picchu, the mountain overlooking Machu Picchu, which takes approximately 90 minutes to climb. Alternatively for another spectacular climb which is less steep, Machu Picchu Mountain offers incredible views.
Both also need permits to enter which need to be booked in advance.
In the afternoon we will meet in Aguas Calientes to board the train back to Cusco.
Overnight in Cusco.

DAY 07: CUSCO / PUNO BUS

We will leave to Puno at 7:30 am, on a tour bus with onboard service. The trip takes eight hours, but our stops and the passages that we take will make this a fun and rewarding day trip; this route fills our hearts with landscape and history. We will have guided tours to the Pukara museum; we will pass through La Raya (highest point of the journey at 4,335 m. above sea level), the archaeological complex of Raqchi and the Andahuaylillas temple. Arrival at Puno (3,800 m. above sea level around 5 pm. If it is a dry season, from April to August, there may be very cold in the mornings and freezing in the evenings. Transfer to the hotel.
Overnight in Puno.

DAY 08: TITICACA LAKE: UROS - TAQUILE - PUNO

On this day we will visit the legendary Lake Titicaca, a gigantic portion of the sea captured at 3.965 meters high, making it the highest navigable lake in the world.
In the morning, we will go to the port of Puno (3,800 m above the sea level). At 7:30 am we will start our journey by motor boat that will allow us to see the vastness and beauty of Lake Titicaca. The first destination will be the Uros floating islands and their community, one of the oldest in the continent. Although today it is said that little remains of the original Uros, their descendants have certainly preserved the knowledge and techniques to twist and shape the reeds (“Totora”) as a remarkable cultural legacy. With them they create huge floating islands on which their homes, schools and medical centers are built. The Uros are descendants of what it’s considered the oldest people in South America.
We will continue the journey to the Taquile Island for about three hours. The people of this island are of Quechua origin, most of them are farmers, and however Tourism has been growing in this area to become one of the most classic destinations of the Lake. Since the mid –seventies the natives offer their services and during high season they get lot of visitors.
We will arrive at the island on the north pier and walk for an hour to the village, where we will have lunch. Later on the opposite side of the island, we will descend 530 steps to the dock. We will return in the same boat towards Puno around 17:30 hrs.
Overnight in Puno.

DAY 09: SILLUSTANI CHULPAS. JULIACA – LIMA FLIGHT

We will leave the hotel to visit the Archaeological Complex of Sillustani, in our way to the airport to take the flight to Lima. Sillustani is one of the largest cemeteries in the world where we will find the Chulpas:large stone funerary towers built by the Incas and the Qollas ethnic group (inhabitants of the lake before the Incas), to bury their dead.
They are surrounded by a landscape of stunning beauty that seems to be summed up in the serene waters of the lagoon Umayo.
In the afternoon we will take the flight to Lima. Transfer to the Hotel.
Overnight in Lima .

DAY 10: INTERNATIONAL DEPARTURE

A driver will pick you up from the hotel to take you to the Jorge Chavez Airport for the internatonal flight.

Included / Not IncludedWhat Makes this Trip Responsible?

Included:
. Local flights
. Reception and transfer from/ to airport or bus terminals.
. Tourist Bus to Puno/Cusco
. Expedition Train to Machu Picchu
. Entries to each archaeological site and/or natural reserve
. Official local guide
. All meals included in the program
. BTG (Cusco Tourist Ticket)
. Local flight boarding pass printed (and International flight if locator is sent).
. Follow up phone service and 24 hours emergency phone

Local Services – We engage locally-owned and operated services thereby supporting local people and not using long and carbon-intensive supply chains.

Local Transport – We use local public transport wherever we can to reduce fuel usage per passenger.

Local Food and Local Goods – We endeavour to include and strongly encourage our travellers to eat locally produced food and goods. This reduces the ’embodied energy’.

Water Bottles – We encourage our passengers to refill a water bottle from water ‘bubblers’ where available to avoid unnecessary purchasing of bottled water and the subsequent waste disposal issues.

Economic Empowerment – Economic empowerment of local communities through tourism can help improve education and health services, water supplies and sanitation and reduce dependence on non-sustainable livelihoods.

Local Employment – We use local leaders and guides so that we learn about the culture and way of life directly from those who live it and put money into local hands and economies. We can particularly learn from indigenous rural communities about their relationship to the land and how they’ve practiced sustainable agriculture for centuries.

Highlights of this Trip

• Sample coca tea in Cusco
• Watch the sun rise over Machu Picchu
• Experience the only place ever to have resisted attacks from the Spanish
• Speak some Quechua in the Sacred Valley
• Visit Lake Titicaca's floating reed islands